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Arguing they were denied a full say in the matter, opponents of Brockville’s planned north-end industrial park are contemplating an appeal.

But Mayor David Henderson said city council followed due process in its approval of the needed measures Tuesday night, and it has given critics of the job lands four years to have their say.

City council voted Tuesday to adopt a “secondary plan report” on the potential industrial park, as well as official plan and zoning bylaw amendments needed to turn the area into employment lands.

The decision moves the city closer to marketing the north-end land to potential developers. It also opens up a 20-day appeal period.

Garth McGill, chairman of Citizens for Progress without Hardship (CPH), a group of neighbours of the site that has numerous objections to the plan, reiterated Wednesday CPH is contemplating appeals.

The group will meet in the coming days to consider its actions, but will likely file a complaint with the Ontario ombudsman that the city contravened the Planning Act about the issuance of notices to the public, McGill said in an email to The Recorder and Times.

CPH is also considering an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, he added.

McGill said Tuesday’s meeting “had all the hallmarks of democracy not in action,” saying his presentation to council was interrupted before he could complete a list of 12 unresolved issues related to the industrial park.

These include the impact on nearby residents’ well quality; CPH wants the city to conduct a thorough hydrogeological review of the area before proceeding.

Other issues CPH wants addressed include how to deal with some 33 butternut trees in the area and the need to apply to the province for permission to harm or remove them, which would require planting replacement butternut seedlings.

The group also refers to a 37-acre endangered species habitat area, saying its fate is “another can kicked down the road” to future planning applications.

CPH also notes a private dump exists on the site in the northeast corner, leading to the possibility a future owner might have to undergo an environmental assessment.

McGill’s presentation was to address these and other issues, but could not be fit into his 10-minute delegation time on Tuesday.

While McGill voiced his displeasure to the mayor at being cut off, Henderson reiterated Wednesday the 10-minute limit is a longstanding Brockville council procedure.

“We apply it to every group that comes forward,” said the mayor, adding McGill even exceeded the time by a few minutes.

Henderson also questioned the idea of CPH going to the ombudsman over matters of notification.

“The ombudsman is not generally a reference for those types of objection,” he said.

The mayor said he is confident the city has done all it should in a process that gave opponents four years to voice their concerns.

“We have abided by the law; we have abided by all the necessary reports and procedures,” said Henderson.

Should the new measures get past an appeal period, the city’s next step will be to have the land certified by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Growth, a critical step in marketing the land to potential employers.

That, said the mayor, will likely involve yet more reports and studies.

McGill has been trying to stop the project at every step, said the mayor.